Weakest Link Still Prevails: Overreliance on Passwords Continues to Compromise Data Security, Finds Thales
According to the 2020 Thales Access Management Index – U.S./Brazil Edition1– four out of ten US and Brazilian IT security professionals still see usernames and passwords as one of the most effective means to protect access to their IT infrastructure, even though most hacking-related breaches are a result of weak, stolen or reused user credentials. In fact, the vast majority of respondents indicate that their organization plans to expand the use of usernames and passwords, even though the limitations could pose strong security challenges. This is particularly interesting given the increased remote worker environment. This continued reliance on outdated security comes despite half of IT leaders revealing secure access management is now a priority for boards of directors.
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“Covid-19’s Impact on How CISOs View Cloud Access Management and Remote Working”
Thales will host a webinar, “Covid-19’s Impact on How CISOs View Cloud Access Management and Remote Working” today at 2pm EDT to discuss the report in more detail.
Surveying 300 IT decision-makers across the U.S. and Brazil, Thales’s new research found that the majority (68%) of U.S. IT professionals revealed that unprotected infrastructure is one of the biggest targets for cyber-attacks, ahead of cloud apps (58%) and web portals (52%). The pressure to implement digitally transformative technologies also is driving businesses to adopt solutions that are likely to increase their level of risk.
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Solving the Security vs. Convenience Challenge in a Time of Crisis
The recent explosion of the remote work environment brought on by the Covid-19 global pandemic has forced IT departments into a tug-of-war between security and convenience at a time when risks are at their highest. Even amidst the rapidly evolving landscape of access management, the vast majority (94%) of respondents report that their organization’s security policies around access management have been influenced by breaches over the past year. Despite that, more than half (58%) say they still allow employees of their organization to log on to corporate resources using social media credentials – a risky practice. In fact, less than a third (28%) view social media credentials as one of the best tools for protecting cloud and web-based authentication.
According to the report, security concerns (88%), and / or the threat of a large-scale breach (84%) are the factors most likely to drive organizations to have implemented, or plan to implement, an access management solution. This highlights the reactive approach that many organizations are taking rather than a more effective, proactive one.
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